Menu display apparatus, menu display method and program

ABSTRACT

Provided is a menu display apparatus that displays a menu of a plurality of applications, including an acquisition unit that acquires display data of content information representing content to be displayed in the menu of the content managed by each application from each application and a display controller that controls a display of the content information in each area according to setting conditions for the area provided for each of the applications in the menu and the display information of the content information acquired from each application. Accordingly, the display of the content information to be displayed in the menu in each area is controlled according to setting conditions for the area provided for each application in the menu and display data of the content information acquired from each application.

CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/525,873 (filed on Oct. 28, 2014), which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/263,377 (filed Oct. 7, 2011 and issued asU.S. Pat. No. 8,918,738 on Dec. 23, 2014), which is a National Stagepatent application of PCT International Patent Application No.PCT/JP2010/050596 (filed on Jan. 20, 2010) under 35 U.S.C. § 371, whichclaims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-099145 (filed onApr. 15, 2009), which are all hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a menu display apparatus, a menudisplay method, and a program.

BACKGROUND ART

A plurality of pieces of application software (hereinafter, abbreviatedas applications) is executed in an information processing apparatus suchas a personal computer, PDA, and mobile phone. In the informationprocessing apparatus, a desired application or content is selected by auser through a graphical user interface (GUI) menu including a pluralityof applications and the application is activated.

In a conventional menu, information as regards selectable applicationsor information as regards content processed by an application isdisplayed according to display data set by the menu side. The displaydata means, for example, along with an image (an image such as an icon,thumbnail, and screen shot, text and the like) of an application orcontent, the arrangement, size and the like of the image on the menu.That is, information as regards applications or information as regardscontent is displayed in a menu according to specifications preset on theside of the menu.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

In a conventional menu, specifications of the menu are set on the sideof the menu and it is difficult for the side of application to set menuspecifications. Thus, it has been difficult for the application user toset menu specifications as desired through changes of content to bedisplayed in a menu and changes of display data, preventing the userfrom enjoying using a good menu environment. Also, it has been difficultfor application developers to set menu specifications as desired, whichhas prevented such developers from providing a good user environment.

It is desirable to provide a menu display apparatus capable of settingmenu specifications on the side of application, a menu display method,and a program.

Solution to Problem

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a menu displayapparatus that displays a menu of a plurality of applications,including: an acquisition unit that acquires display data of contentinformation representing content to be displayed in the menu of thecontent managed by each of the applications from each of theapplications; and a display controller that controls a display of thecontent information in each area according to setting conditions for thearea provided for each of the applications in the menu and the displaydata of the content information acquired from each of the applicationsis provided.

Accordingly, the display of the content information to be displayed inthe menu in each area is controlled according to setting conditions forthe area provided for each application in the menu and display data ofthe content information acquired from each application. Thus, menuspecifications can now be set from the side of the application.

The acquisition unit may acquire the display data of the contentinformation of the content set by each of the applications based on atleast one of a usage date/time, an update date/time, or a usagefrequency of the content or information specified by a user about thecontent of the content managed by each of the applications. Accordingly,menu specifications can be set from the side of the applicationaccording to the content set by each application based on the usagedate/time, the update date/time, or the usage frequency of the contentor information specified by a user as regards the content.

The acquisition unit may acquire an image of the content information, anarrangement, a size, and a rotation angle of the content information inthe area as the display data of the content information. Accordingly,menu specifications can be set from the side of the applicationaccording to the display data including the image of the contentinformation, the arrangement, size, and rotation angle of the contentinformation in the area.

When the state of the application is updated, the display controller maycontrol an update display of the content information in the area of theapplication whose state has been updated. Accordingly, an update displayof the content information can be made in the area of the applicationwhose state has been updated in accordance with the state update of theapplication.

The menu display apparatus may hold an arrangement, a size, and arotation angle of the area in the menu as the setting conditions for thearea. Accordingly, menu specifications can be set according to settingconditions including the arrangement, size, and rotation angle of thearea in the menu.

The menu display apparatus may further include an editing unit thatperforms layout edit processing of the area in the menu, wherein thesetting conditions decided based on a result of the layout editprocessing are held as the setting conditions for the area. Accordingly,menu specifications can be set according to the layout of the areaedited in the menu.

The menu display apparatus may further include a rearrangement unit thatperforms rearrangement processing of the area so that overlapping of theareas in the menu is reduced, wherein the setting conditions decidedbased on a result of the rearrangement processing are held as thesetting conditions for the area. Accordingly, menu specifications can beset according to the arrangement of the areas rearranged in the menu.

The menu display apparatus may further include a registration unit thatperforms registration processing of the application with the menu,wherein the setting conditions for the area added for the applicationregistered by the registration processing are held. Accordingly, menuspecifications can be set according to the area of the applicationregistered with the menu.

The menu display apparatus may further include an operation unit foroperating the menu, wherein when the area caused to be focused in themenu via the operation unit is selected, the display controller controlsthe display of a sub-menu of the application corresponding to theselected area and the display of the content information in the sub-menuof the content managed by the application. Accordingly, the sub-menu ofthe application corresponding to the area can be displayed in accordancewith the selection of the area in the menu to display the contentinformation of content management by the application.

The menu display apparatus may further include an execution preparationunit that makes preparations for execution of the application, whereinwhen the content information is selected from the sub-menu via theoperation unit, the execution preparation unit provides activationparameters of the content corresponding to the selected contentinformation to the application that processes the content. Accordingly,the application that processes content corresponding to the contentinformation can be activated in accordance with the selection of thecontent information from the sub-menu.

If the focus for the area is moved in the menu via the operation unit,the display controller may control a rotation display of a menu regionso that a rotation angle of the area caused to be focused becomes 0° inaccordance with the area caused to be focused by the focus moved in aspiral fashion with a center of the menu region set as a reference.

If the area caused to be focused in the menu via the operation unit isselected, the display controller may control a zoom-in display of thesub-menu of the application corresponding to the selected area.

If a return to the menu is instructed in the sub-menu via the operationunit, the display controller may control a zoom-out display from thesub-menu to the menu.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a menu displaymethod of displaying a menu of a plurality of applications, including:acquiring display data of content information representing content to bedisplayed in the menu of the content managed by each of the applicationsfrom each of the applications; and controlling a display of the contentinformation in each area according to setting conditions for the areaprovided for each of the applications in the menu and the display dataof the content information acquired from each of the applications isprovided.

Accordingly, the display of the content information to be displayed inthe menu in each area is controlled according to setting conditions forthe area provided for each application in the menu and display data ofthe content information acquired from each application. Thus, menuspecifications can now be set from the side of the application.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a program causinga computer to execute the menu display method according to the secondaspect is provided.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, as described above, a menu displayapparatus capable of setting menu specifications on the side ofapplication, a menu display method, and a program can be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a function configuration of a menudisplay apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a processing order of a menu displaymethod.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing transitions of a operation mode of the menudisplay apparatus.

FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a display example of an overall view mode.

FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a display example when a focus is moved inan overall view mode.

FIG. 4C is a diagram showing a display example in an area view mode.

FIG. 4D is a display example in an application execution mode.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing focus movement between areas.

FIG. 6A is a diagram showing edit processing (arrangement change) of anarea.

FIG. 6B is a diagram showing edit processing (size change) of the area.

FIG. 6C is a diagram showing edit processing (rotation angle change) ofthe area.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing rearrangement processing (beforerearrangement) of the area.

FIG. 7B is a diagram showing rearrangement processing (afterrearrangement) of the area.

FIG. 8A is a diagram showing registration processing of an application.

FIG. 8B is a diagram showing the registration processing of theapplication.

FIG. 8C is a diagram showing the registration processing of theapplication.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example ofthe menu display apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that,in this specification and the drawings, elements that have substantiallythe same function and structure are denoted with the same referencesigns, and description thereof will not be repeated here.

1. FUNCTION CONFIGURATION OF MENU DISPLAY APPARATUS 100

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the function configuration of the menudisplay apparatus 100. The menu display apparatus 100 is configured asan information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, PDA,and mobile phone. As shown in FIG. 1, the menu display apparatus 100includes a control unit 101, an operation unit 111, a display controller113, a display unit 115, a content recording unit 117, and acommunication unit 119.

The control unit 101 includes a CPU, ROM, and RAM and controls the wholemenu display apparatus 100. The CPU reads a program such as a menudisplay program and application program from the ROM or the like andexpands the program over the RAM for execution.

The control unit 101 includes a menu execution unit 103, an applicationexecution unit 105, and a holding unit 107. The menu execution unit 103executes a menu display program and the application execution unit 105executes an application program. The holding unit 107 is composed of anonvolatile memory or the like and holds various programs and executabledata of various programs. The holding unit 107 holds registrationinformation of applications, setting conditions for an area A providedfor each application in a menu, and display data of content informationC displayed in each area A. The holding unit 107 also holds display dataof the content information C displayed for each application in asubmenu.

Setting conditions for the area A includes the arrangement, size,rotation angle, application name, and identifier of the area A in amenu. Setting conditions for the area A are set based on preset valueswhen an application is registered and adjusted by the user if necessarybefore being written into the holding unit 107. After applicationregistration, setting conditions for the area A are also written intothe holding unit 107 after being changed by the user if necessary.

Display data of the content information C represent content (includingsub-content) to be displayed in a menu or sub-menu of content managed byeach application. Display data of the content information C includes alist of the content information C to be displayed, images of the contentinformation C, and the arrangement, size, rotation angle, content name,and identifier of the content information C in the area A or a sub-menu.Display data of the content information C is written into the holdingunit 107 by the application execution unit 105 when each application(including a service described later) is executed.

Content to be displayed in a menu or sub-menu is set by eachapplication. For a Web browser, for example, sites whose browsingdate/time or registration date/time is new, sites accessed frequently,and sites whose update date/time is new among registered sites are set.For a music player, compositions whose playback date/time is new, a playlist whose registration date/time is new, compositions/play list whoseplayback frequency is high, and compositions whose evaluation by theuser is high are set. For a video player, video whose playback date/timeis new, video whose playback frequency is high, and video whoseevaluation by the user is high are set. For a photo viewer, images whosedisplay date/time is new, images whose display frequency is high, andimages whose evaluation by the user is high are set. For a mailer, mailsfor each mail provider are set. For a map viewer, maps whose displaydate/time is new and maps whose display frequency is high are set. For ascheduler, a schedule for today, a schedule for this week, and plans forregistered commemoration days are set. For an application downloader,applications whose registration date/time is new and applications whosedownload frequency is high are set.

Display data of the content information C is provided to the menuexecution unit 103 by the application execution unit 105 throughexecution of each application according to predetermined rules (datatypes, formats and the like) defined for executing the menu displaymethod. Rules for executing the menu display method are limited tominimum items so that various applications can be registered with amenu.

Images of the content information C is set by each application. For aWeb browser, for example, a screen shot image of a Web page and a logomark/icon related to the Web page are set. For a music player, a jacketphoto for a music album and preset icons that can be used as asubstitution for the jacket photo are set. For a video player, videotitle images and screen shot images of playback video are set. For aphoto viewer, thumbnail images of photos and thumbnail images of typicalphotos for each album are set. For a mailer, a mail icon is set. For amap viewer, snapshot images of maps, snapshot images of customized maps,registered points/routes are set. For a scheduler, an icon with an iconattached thereto is set. For an application downloader, snapshotimages/icons of downloadable applications are set.

The name of content is also set by each application. For a Web browser,for example, the title of content tagged to a Web page and bookmarknames specified by the user are set. For a music player,composition/play list/album names are set. For a video player, names ofvideo titles are set. For a photo viewer, the file name of photos, namesset by users, and names recorded as metadata of photos are set. For amailer, names of mail providers are set. For a map viewer, the latestaccess points by users and names set by users are set. For a scheduler,names of plans are set. For an application downloader, names ofdownloadable applications are set.

The content information C may contain parameters used for activation ofapplications corresponding to content. Parameters are also set by eachapplication. For a Web browser, for example, URL of the site selectedfrom a sub-menu is set. For a music player, the identifier of thecomposition/album/play list selected from a sub-menu is set. For a videoplayer, the identifier of the video selected from a sub-menu is set. Fora photo viewer, the identifier of the photo selected from a sub-menu isset. For a mailer, the identifier of the mail provider selected from asub-menu is set. For a map viewer, the mode when activated such as thedisplay mode based on a specified point and the route search mode isset. For a scheduler, the identifier of the plan selected from asub-menu is set. For an application downloader, the identifier of theapplication to be downloaded is set.

The menu execution unit 103 has functions of an acquisition unit,editing unit, rearrangement unit, registration unit, and executionpreparation unit. The menu execution unit 103 reads and acquires displaydata of the content information C written by the application executionunit 105 through execution of an application from the holding unit 107.The menu execution unit 103 performs edit processing of the area A on amenu via the operation unit 111. The menu execution unit 103 performsrearrangement processing of the areas A on the menu so that overlappedarrangement of the areas A is reduced. The menu execution unit 103performs registration processing of an application with the menu. Themenu execution unit 103 makes preparations for execution of anapplication by the application execution unit 105.

The operation unit 111 acquires operation information input by the user.Operation information is input through operations by the keyboard,pointing device, a user's finger O and the like. The display controller113 controls the display unit 115 to make a display of themenu/sub-menus and also to make a display when an application isexecuted. The display unit 115 makes a display of the menu/sub-menus andalso makes a display when an application is executed. The display unit115 is a liquid crystal panel contained in the menu display apparatus100, an LCD externally attached to the menu display apparatus 100 or thelike. A case where the operation unit 111 and the display unit 115 areintegrated as a touch panel will be described below, but the operationunit 111 and the display unit 115 may be provided separately.

The content recording unit 117 records content processed by applicationsthat can be activated from the menu display apparatus 100 and contentinformation C. The content recording unit 117 records content andcontent information C by associating with applications. Thecommunication unit 119 transmits/receives data to/from other informationprocessing apparatuses such as a service provider via a communicationnetwork N.

An application is software having a GUI to communicate with the user,having a function to perform the work desired by the user to performwith the menu display apparatus 100, and which can be activated from themenu display apparatus 100. Hereinafter, software like an accessoryhaving a GUI such as a widget is also called an application. A so-calledservice that executes a portion of application functions, but does nothave a GUI is distinguished from the applications. A service is aprogram or the like executed in the background of a menu display programeven when, for example, a mailer having a GUI is not executed to performa mail transmitting/receiving function. Content means entity data suchas still images, video, voice, text, Web pages, mail, and games. Contentinformation C means information accompanying entity data of content suchas the identifier, name, category, and icon of content.

2. MENU DISPLAY METHOD

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the processing order of the menu displaymethod.

As shown in FIG. 2, the menu execution unit 103 registers applicationsthat can be activated by the menu display apparatus 100 with a menu(step S101). Applications are registered based on preset values when amenu display program is installed or registered by a user's operation inlauncher mode OM5. Then, registration information of applications iswritten into the holding unit 107.

The menu execution unit 103 sets setting conditions for the area A foreach of the registered applications (S103). Setting conditions for thearea A includes the arrangement, size, and rotation angle of the area Ain the menu. Setting conditions for the area A are set based on presetvalues when the area A is registered and adjusted by the user ifnecessary before being written into the holding unit 107. After area Aregistration, setting conditions for the area A are also written intothe holding unit 107 after being changed by the user if necessary inarea editing mode OM4.

The application execution unit 105 provides display data of the contentinformation C representing content to be displayed in the menu/sub-menusthrough execution of each application (S105). Display data of thecontent information C is created based on the content information Crecorded in the content recording unit 117 and/or based on a user'soperation and written into the holding unit 107 for each application.Display data of the content information C is written periodically ornon-periodically during execution of an application (and a service).

The application execution unit 105 sets content to be displayed in themenu/sub-menus through execution of each application. Content to bedisplayed in the menu/sub-menus is set based on the usage date/time ofcontent, update date/time, usage frequency, and information specified bythe user concerning content. Content to be displayed in themenu/sub-menus is set as content executed by an application immediatelybefore, content whose update is detected immediately before, contentwhose usage frequency is high, or content specified by the userimmediately before via an application.

The application execution unit 105 sets for each application displaydata of the content information C representing content to be displayedin the menu/sub-menus through execution of each application. Displaydata of the content information C includes a list of the contentinformation C, images of the content information C, and the arrangement,size, rotation angle and the like of the content information C in thearea A. The type, format and the like of display data of the contentinformation C are preset between the application and the menu executionunit 103. That is, display data of the content information C is providedto the menu execution unit 103 by the application execution unit 105through execution of an application according to predetermined rulesdefined for executing the menu display method.

The menu execution unit 103 causes the display unit 115 to display themenu via the display controller 113 according to registrationinformation of the application, setting conditions for the area Acorresponding to the application, and display data of the contentinformation C (S107). The menu execution unit 103 reads display data ofan application periodically or non-periodically from the holding unit107 during execution of the menu such as when the menu is activated orthe application terminates. In the menu, display data of the contentinformation C representing content to be displayed in the menu isdisplayed in the area A set for each registered application.

If the state of each application is updated through execution of theapplication, the application execution unit 105 notifies the menuexecution unit 103 of the state update (S109, S111). The state update ofan application can be notified if a service is being executed eventhough the application execution unit 105 is not executing theapplication.

The state update of an application is notified when, for example,content is used or updated or an operation is performed on content sothat it becomes necessary to change the display of the correspondingarea A. In accordance with the state update of an application, theapplication execution unit 105 writes display data necessary to updatethe display of the corresponding area A into the holding unit 107. It isdesirable that the application execution unit 105 make a notification ofthe state update after identifying the application and contentinformation C. Then, the menu execution unit 103 reads the updateddisplay data from the holding unit 107 to cause the display unit 115 todisplay the updated menu via the display controller 113 (S113).

The notification of the state update is used for different uses fromapplication to application. For example, the notification of the stateupdate is used to make a notification that recommendation information isacquired from a service provider registered for each application via thecommunication unit 119. A music player, video player, or photo playeruses the notification of the state update to make a notification ofaddition/deletion of content to/from a specific recording location ofthe menu display apparatus 100 such as addition/deletion of contentto/from the menu display apparatus 100. A Web browser uses thenotification of the state update to make a notification of the update ofan RSS channel registered by the user. A mailer uses the notification ofthe state update to make a notification of new mail. A scheduler usesthe notification of the state update to make a notification of thearrival of the time point set by the user.

If the area A in the menu is selected, the menu execution unit 103causes the display unit 115 to display, via the display controller 113,the sub-menu of the application corresponding to the selected area A(S115, S117). The menu execution unit 103 causes the display unit 115 todisplay the sub-menu via the display controller 113 according to displaydata of the content information C representing content (includingsub-content) to be displayed in the sub-menu.

If content (including sub-content) is selected from the sub-menu, themenu execution unit 103 notifies the application execution unit 105 ofcontent execution instructions (S119, S121). Execution instructions arenotified together with parameters for application activation ifnecessary. The application execution unit 105 executes the applicationthat processes the selected content (S123). The application executionunit 105 reads the selected content from the content recording unit 117to process the content through execution of the application.

3. OPERATION MODE

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing transitions of the operation mode of themenu display apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 3, the menu displayapparatus 100 has operation modes of an overall view mode OM1, an areaview mode OM2, an application execution mode OM3, the area editing modeOM4, and the launcher mode OM5.

The overall view mode OM1 is a mode in which a menu of a plurality ofapplications is displayed by using the area A provided for eachapplication. The area view mode OM2 is a mode in which the sub-menu ofan application is displayed. The application execution mode OM3 is amode in which an application is executed. The area editing mode OM4 is amode in which the layout of the area A is edited in the menu. Thelauncher mode OM5 is a mode in which an application is activated or anapplication is registered.

In accordance with a selection operation of the area A, the operationmode is switched from the overall view mode OM1 to the area view modeOM2 (T12). In accordance with a mode selection operation, the operationmode is switched from the area view mode OM2 to the overall view modeOM1 (T21). In accordance with content execution instructions in thesub-menu, the operation mode is switched from the area view mode OM2 tothe application execution mode OM3 (T23). In accordance with a modeselection operation in an execution screen of an application, theoperation mode is switched from the application execution mode OM3 tothe overall view mode OM1 (T31).

In accordance with a mode selection operation, the operation mode isswitched between the overall view mode OM1 and the area editing mode OM4(T14, T41) and the operation mode is switched between the overall viewmode OM1 and the launcher mode OM5 (T15, T51). Also, in accordance withan activation operation of an application, the operation mode isswitched from the launcher mode OM5 to the application execution modeOM3 (T53).

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing transitions of the operation mode from theoverall view mode OM1 through area view mode OM2 to the applicationexecution mode OM3. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing focus movement betweenthe areas A.

In FIG. 4, the menu display apparatus 100, which is a folding PDA, isdisplayed. The menu display apparatus 100 is provided with a frame Fthat partitions the display screen into an upper region and a lowerregion to realize a folding mechanism. Hereinafter, though the displayscreen of the menu display apparatus 100 is partitioned into the upperregion and the lower region, a case where the display screen is composedof a single display region is also described in the same manner.

[3-1. Overall View Mode OM1]

In FIG. 4A, a display example of the menu in overall view mode OM1 isshown. In the upper region and lower region, along with the area A foreach registered application, display data of the content information Crepresenting content to be displayed in the menu is displayed in eacharea A.

The menu execution unit 103 causes the display unit 115 to display themenu via the display controller 113 according to registrationinformation of an application, setting conditions for the area Acorresponding to the application, and display data of the contentinformation C to be displayed in the menu.

In the example shown in FIG. 4A, areas A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, and A6 areprovided for each of the applications such as the clock, mail, photo,movie, music, and Web update respectively in the menu. While the area Ais provided as a rectangular region, the areas A may be provided as aregion having a shape other than a rectangle. Starting point movingbuttons “PREY”, “NEXT” B1, B2 to move the focus between the areas A aredisplayed at the bottom of the display screen. Launcher buttons B3, B4to display a launcher L in each of the upper region and lower region aredisplayed at the left end and right end of the display screenrespectively.

In the area A1 of the clock, the content information C of clock contentis displayed. In the area A2 of the mail, the mail reception date isdisplayed along with the content information C of mail content receivedimmediately before. In the area A3 of the photo, the content informationC (thumbnail images) of photo content is displayed. In the area A4 ofthe movie, the content information C (screen shot images) of moviecontent played back immediately before and the content information C ofrelated content are displayed. In the area A5 of music, the contentinformation C (album image) of music content played back immediatelybefore. In the area A6 of the Web update, page update dates aredisplayed along with the content information C (screen shot images ofWeb pages) of Web content updated immediately before.

The name of the application corresponding to the area A is displayed ineach area A and depending on the application, the name of content isdisplayed. In the menu, the area A4 of the movie indicated by a thickbroken line is focused.

The area A is displayed in a predetermined layout in a menu regionaccording to setting conditions including the arrangement of the area A,size, rotation angle, application name, and identifier. The menu regionis a virtual plane where the area A of an application registered withthe menu is laid out and a portion thereof is displayed on the displayscreen. The arrangement of the area A is defined by setting the upperleft corner of the area A as a reference point, the size thereof isdefined as relative coordinates from the reference point to the lowerright corner of the area A, and the rotation angle thereof is defined asan angle with the reference point set as a rotation center.

Content information C is displayed in a predetermined layout in eacharea A according to display data composed of a list of the contentinformation C, an image of the content information C, and thearrangement, size, rotation angle, content name, and identifier of thecontent information C in each area A. Like the area A, the arrangement,size, and rotation angle of the content information C is defined fordisplay data of the content information C.

While the areas A are not arranged by overlapping with the other area Ain the example shown in FIG. 4A, the area A may be arranged byoverlapping with the other area A. In such a case, the displaycontroller 113 controls the display of the areas A in such a way thatthe area A with an increasing priority is displayed so as to come to thetop on the display screen according to the order of priorities set foreach area A. It is desirable that the display controller 113 control thedisplay of the area A so that the focused area A is displayed on top ofthe other areas A on the display screen.

The menu region can be scrollably displayed vertically, horizontally, orin a slanting direction with respect to the display screen and can alsobe rotatably displayed around the center of the menu region. If a dragoperation is performed by specifying a region other than the area A inthe menu, the menu region is scrolled and displayed by being linked tothe drag operation. The drag operation is an operation in which thefinger O in contact with the display screen is moved to a predeterminedposition on the display screen. If one of the focus moving buttons“PREY”, “NEXT” B1, B2 is operated, the menu region is rotated inaccordance with the focus movement and displayed.

When the menu region is scrolled and displayed, the menu execution unit103 calculates the layout of the area A on the display screen afterscrolling and causes the display unit 115 to display the menu regionafter scrolling via the display controller 113. When the menu region isscrolled and displayed, the menu execution unit 103 calculates thelayout of the area A on the display screen after scrolling byconsidering the scroll amount of the menu. A region of the menu regionthat extends beyond the display screen is not displayed.

FIG. 4B shows a state after the focus is moved from the state shown inFIG. 4A to the area A5 of music. The focus order is set to each area Ain accordance with the arrangement of the area A in the menu region. Thefocus is moved to the area A in the next or previous focus order of thefocused area A in accordance with the operation of the “PREV” or “NEXT”button B1, B2 in the menu.

The menu execution unit 103 calculates the layout of the area A and thecontent information C on the display screen by calculating apredetermined rotation angle from the rotation angle of the area A5 ofmusic and performing coordinate conversion processing. Then, based on aprocessing result, the display controller 113 controls the display ofthe content information C in the area A for content to be displayed inthe menu.

When the menu region is rotated and displayed, the menu execution unit103 calculates a layout of the area A and the content information C onthe display screen after the rotation and causes the display unit 115 todisplay the menu region after the rotation via the display controller113. Display data of the content information C is set based on a statein which the menu region is not rotated. Thus, if the menu region isrotated and displayed, the menu execution unit 103 calculates the layoutof the content information C on the display screen after the rotation byconsidering the rotation amount of the menu region for display data ofthe content information C.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the focus order is set in a spiralfashion with the center of the menu region set as a reference. The focusorder is set clockwise along a spiral with the area A arranged in thecenter of the spiral set as a starting point. In this case, the menuregion is divided into, for example, 3×3 grid-like subregions (i, j) andeach area A is allocated to the subregion in accordance with the centerposition (marked by • in FIG. 5) of the area A. The division number ofsubregions and the division shape are appropriately set in accordancewith the number of areas A and the shape thereof.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper left subregion and the lower rightsubregion are defined as a subregion (1, 1) and a subregion (3, 3),respectively. The areas A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, and A6 of the clock, mail,photo, movie, music, and Web update are allocated to subregions (2, 2),(1, 3), (1, 2), (1, 1), (3, 1), and (3, 3), respectively. The focusorder is set in the order of the area A1 of clock, the area A2 of mail,the area A3 of photo, the area A4 of movie, the area A5 of music, andthe area A6 of Web update clockwise in a spiral fashion using thesubregion (2, 2) as a reference. If a plurality of areas A is allocatedto the same subregion, the focus order of the areas A is set so that thefocus order of the area A arranged in a position closer to the settingdirection of the focus order is earlier.

In the state shown in FIG. 4B, the menu region rotates clockwise afterthe “NEXT” button B2 being operated in the state shown in FIG. 4A andthe area A5 of music having the next focus order after the area A4 ofmovie is focused. The rotation angle of the menu region is adjusted sothat the rotation angle of the area A5 of music becomes 0°. Accordingly,visibility of the focused area A5 can be improved.

[3-2. Area View Mode OM2]

In FIG. 4C, a display example of the sub-menu in area view mode OM2 isshown. In FIG. 4C, a state in which the area A5 of music is selectedfrom the state shown in FIG. 4B is shown. If a region of the area A isspecified and a pointing operation is performed on the region over apredetermined period in overall view mode OM1, the operation mode isswitched to the area view mode OM2.

If the area A is selected, the selected area A is zoomed in anddisplayed in the upper region and content information C0 displayed inthe area A is enlarged and displayed. In the lower region, contentinformation C1 to C3 of sub-content to be displayed in the menu isdisplayed.

The menu execution unit 103 causes the display unit 115 to display thesub-menu via the display controller 113 according to display data of thecontent information C0 to C3 to be displayed in the sub-menu.

In the example shown in FIG. 4C, a jacket image of a music album and aset of musical pieces of recorded tracks are displayed in the upperregion as the content information C0. In the lower region, the jacketimages containing the musical piece of the recorded track are displayedas the content information C1 to C3 of sub-content. An “ALL VIEW” buttonB5 to switch the operation mode to the overall view mode OM1 andselection buttons “PREV”, “NEXT” B6, B7 to select sub-content aredisplayed at the bottom of the display screen. In the lower region, a“PLAY” B8 button to instruct the playback of the sub-content selected byoperating the selection buttons B6, B7 is displayed.

In the state shown in FIG. 4C, the menu execution unit 103 switches theoperation mode to the overall view mode OM1 shown in FIG. 4B by beingaccompanied by a zoom-out display from the area A to the menu inaccordance with the operation of the “ALL VIEW” button B5. After theoperation mode is switched, the menu region may be displayed withoutbeing scrolled and rotated. The menu execution unit 103 causes the userto select sub-content by using the cursor moving between sub-content inaccordance with the operation of the “PREY”, “NEXT” buttons B6, B7. Inthe state shown in FIG. 4C, the sub-content C1 is selected.

[3-3 Application Execution Mode OM3]

In FIG. 4D, a display example of the application execution screen isdisplayed. FIG. 4D shows a state in which the playback of sub-content isinstructed in the state shown in FIG. 4B. If execution of sub-content isinstructed by the “PLAY” button B8 in area view mode OM2, the operationmode is switched to the application execution mode OM3.

The menu execution unit 103 notifies the application execution unit 105of execution instructions including parameters such as the contentinformation C of the sub-content selected from the sub-menu. Theapplication execution unit 105 reads the content from the contentrecording unit 117 to process the content through execution of theapplication that processes the sub-content to be executed.

In the state shown in FIG. 4D, the execution screen of the applicationis displayed by overlapping with the menu shown in FIG. 4B. In the upperregion, an operation menu AM of the application is displayed along withthe content information C shown in FIG. 4C. In the operation menu AM ofthe application, information as regards the sub-content being playedback and operation buttons of Pause, Fast Reverse, and Fast Forward aredisplayed. The “ALL VIEW” button B5 to switch the operation mode to theoverall view mode OM1 is displayed at the bottom of the display screen.

In the state shown in FIG. 4D, the menu execution unit 103 switches theoperation mode to the overall view mode OM1 shown in FIG. 4B inaccordance with the operation of the “ALL VIEW” button B5. Theapplication execution unit 105 performs playback processing ofsub-content in accordance with the operation of operation buttons in theoperation menu AM.

[3-4. Area Editing Mode OM4]

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing edit processing of the area A. If a regioncorresponding to the area A on the display screen of the menu is touchedover a predetermined period by the finger O or the like, the operationmode is switched from the overall view mode OM1 to the area editing modeOM4 and now the area A is editable. If a region outside the area A istouched by the finger O or the like over a predetermined period in aneditable state, the operation mode is switched from the area editingmode OM4 to the overall view mode OM1.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the area A4 of movie indicated by athick broken line becomes an area to be edited. Change marks M1, M2 forchanging the size and the angle are displayed in predetermined positionsof the area A. In area editing mode OM4, as shown below, thearrangement, size, and rotation angle of the area A can be changed.

If, as shown in FIG. 6A, the user specifies a region outside the changemarks M1, M2 in the area A4 and performs a drag operation, thearrangement of the area A4 is changed. The area A4 is changed inarrangement and displayed by being linked to the drag operation of thearea A4 and the arrangement thereof is changed in accordance with theposition of an area A4′ after the drag operation.

If, as shown in FIG. 6B, the user specifies the size change mark M1 inthe area A4 and performs a drag operation, the size of the area A4 ischanged. The area A4 is changed in size and displayed by being linked tothe drag operation of the size change mark M1 and the size thereof ischanged in accordance with the position of the size change mark M1 afterthe drag operation. In the example shown in FIG. 6B, if the size changemark M1 at the lower right corner of the area A4 is moved by a dragoperation, the size of the area A4 is changed to the size of an area A4′in accordance with the position of the size change mark M1 after themovement while the upper left corner of the area A4 is fixed.

If, as shown in FIG. 6C, the user specifies the angle change mark M2 inthe area A4 and performs a drag operation, the rotation angle of thearea A4 is changed. The area A4 is changed in rotation angle anddisplayed by being linked to the drag operation of the angle change markM2 and the rotation angle thereof is changed in accordance with theposition of the angle change mark M2 after the drag operation. In theexample shown in FIG. 6C, if the size change mark M2 at the upper rightcorner of the area A4 is moved by a drag operation, the rotation angleof the area A4 is changed to the rotation angle of an area A4′ inaccordance with the position of the angle change mark M2 after themovement while the upper left corner of the area A4 is fixed.

The menu execution unit 103 changes setting conditions (the arrangement,size, and rotation angle) for the area A based on a drag operation ofthe area A to be edited or the change marks M1, M2. Though editprocessing of the area A is also performed in a state in which the menuis scrolled or rotated, setting conditions for the area A are changedbased on coordinates of the menu region. That is, setting conditions forthe area A are changed after conversion of the position of the area A orthe change marks M1, M2 after the drag operation on the display screenbased on coordinates of the menu region. Then, changed settingconditions for the area A are held by the holding unit 107.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing rearrangement processing of the area A. Ifthe user instructs to rearrange the area A by a predetermined operationin area editing mode OM4, the area A is rearranged. In the rearrangementof the areas A, the areas A are rearranged in such a way thatoverlapping of the areas A is reduced.

In the example shown in FIG. 7A, the areas A1, A3 of clock and photo,the areas A2, A6 of mail and Web update, and the areas A4, A5 of movieand music are overlapped and visibility of the areas A2, A3, A4displayed behind the areas A1, A5, A6 is reduced.

The menu execution unit 103 compares center positions (marked by •, ∘ inFIG. 7) of the areas A and center positions (marked by X in FIG. 7) ofsub-regions and changes setting conditions for the area A to rearrangethe area A. Then, changed setting conditions are written into theholding unit 107. In this case, the menu region is divided into, forexample, 3×3 grid-like subregions (i, j) and each area A is allocated tothe center position of the corresponding subregion in accordance withthe center position of the area A. The division number and the divisionshape of subregions are appropriately set in accordance with the numberof areas A and the shape thereof.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the upper left subregion and the lower rightsubregion are defined as a subregion (1, 1) and a subregion (3, 3),respectively. The areas A1, A3 of clock and photo are arranged in thesubregion (2, 2), the area A2 of mail is arranged in the subregion (2,3), the area A6 of Web update is arranged in the subregion (3, 3), andthe areas A4, A5 of movie and music are arranged in the subregion (2,1). In the case of, for example, the areas A1, A3 of clock and photo,the center position of the area A1 of clock is closer to the subregion(2, 2) than the center position of the area A3 of photo. The centerposition of the other area A is not present in the subregion (1, 2)positioned to the left of the subregion (2, 2).

Thus, as shown in FIG. 7B, the center position of the area A1 of clockis rearranged to the center position of the subregion (2, 2) and thecenter position of the area A3 of photo is rearranged to the centerposition of the subregion (1, 2). Similarly, the center position of thearea A2 of mail is rearranged to the center position of the subregion(1, 3), the center position of the area A4 of movie is rearranged to thecenter position of the subregion (1, 1), the center position of the areaA5 of music is rearranged to the center position of the subregion (2,1), and the center position of the area A6 of Web update is rearrangedto the center position of the subregion (3, 3).

The menu execution unit 103 performs rearrangement processing of theareas A as described above, changes setting conditions (arrangement ofthe areas A) for the areas A, and writes changed setting conditions intothe holding unit 107. Along with the rearrangement of the areas A, thesize of the area A and/or the rotation angle thereof may be changed.Rearrangement processing of the area A may be performed in a state inwhich the menu region is not scrolled or rotated or in a state in whichthe menu region is scrolled or rotated.

[3-5. Launcher Mode OM5]

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing registration processing of an application.If a region corresponding to launcher buttons B3, B4 on the displayscreen of the menu is touched over a predetermined period by the fingerO or the like, the operation mode is switched from the overall view modeOM1 to the launcher mode OM5 and applications can be registered. If aregion outside the launcher L is touched by the finger O or the likeover a predetermined period on the display screen in a state in whichapplications can be registered, the operation mode is switched from thelauncher mode OM5 to the overall view mode OM1.

If the launcher button B3 or B4 at the left end and right end of thedisplay screen is operated, the launcher L is displayed by overlappingwith the menu in the upper region or the lower region. In the launcherL, icons I1 to I7, names and the like of applications that are notregistered with the menu of applications that can be executed from themenu display apparatus 100 are displayed.

If a region corresponding to an icon I of an application on the displayscreen of the launcher L is touched over a predetermined period by thefinger O or the like, the menu execution unit 103 switches the operationmode to the application execution mode OM3. Then, the applicationexecution unit 105 activates the corresponding application. In theexample shown in FIG. 8A, the icon I2 of scheduler is selected and thus,a scheduler is activated.

If the icon I of an application is specified and a drag and dropoperation is performed from the region of the launcher L region to themenu region, the menu execution unit 103 updates registrationinformation of the application. Also, the menu execution unit 103 addsthe area A of the corresponding application to the menu in accordancewith the drag and drop operation of the icon I. In the example shown inFIG. 8B, the drag and drop operation of the icon I2 of scheduler isperformed and thus, the scheduler is registered with the menu. Then, asshown in FIG. 8C, an area A7 of the scheduler is added to the menu.

The arrangement of the added area A7 is set by using a drop position ofthe icon I2 as a reference and the size and rotation angle thereof areset as predetermined values. The area A7 becomes editable like in areaediting mode and the change marks M1, M2 for changing the size androtation angle are displayed in the area A7. Then, the arrangement,size, and rotation angle of the area A7 are changed in the same manneras in area editing mode OM4. When the edit processing of the area A7 isfinished, the menu execution unit 103 writes setting conditions of thearea A7 into the holding unit 107.

4. HARDWARE CONFIGURATION OF MENU DISPLAY APPARATUS 100

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example ofthe menu display apparatus 100.

The menu display apparatus 100 mainly includes a CPU 901, a ROM 903, aRAM 905, a host bus 907, a bridge 909, an external bus 911, an interface913, an input apparatus 915, an output apparatus 917, a storageapparatus 919, a drive 921, a connection port 923, and a communicationapparatus 925.

The CPU 901 functions as an arithmetic processing unit or controlapparatus and at least partially controls the operation of the menudisplay apparatus 100 according to various programs recorded in the ROM903, the RAM 905, the storage apparatus 919, or a removable recordingmedium 927. The ROM 903 stores programs and parameters used by the CPU901. The RAM 905 temporarily stores programs executed by the CPU 901 andparameters for program execution. The CPU 901, the ROM 903, and the RAM905 are mutually connected by the host bus 907. The host bus 907 isconnected to the external bus 911 via the bridge 909.

The input apparatus 915 is an operation unit that can be operated by theuser such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, button, and switch. Theinput apparatus 915 may also be, for example, a remote operation unitusing radio waves such as infrared rays or an external device 929 suchas a mobile phone and PDA compatible with the operation of the menudisplay apparatus 100. The input apparatus 915 includes an input controlcircuit that generates an input signal based on operation informationinput by the user using, for example, the above operation unit andoutputs the input signal to the CPU 901. The user of the menu displayapparatus 100 inputs various kinds of data into the menu displayapparatus 100 via the operation of the input apparatus 915 to instructthe processing operation.

The output apparatus 917 includes an apparatus capable of notifying theuser of acquired information visually or auditorily, for example, adisplay apparatus such as a CRT display, liquid crystal display, andlamp, audio output apparatus such as a speaker and headphone, printer,mobile phone, and a fax machine. The output apparatus 917 outputs aprocessing result of the menu display apparatus 100. For example, thedisplay apparatus displays a processing result by the menu displayapparatus 100 as text information or image information and the audiooutput apparatus converts an audio signal of played-back audio data,acoustic data or the like into an analog signal for output.

The storage apparatus 919 is an apparatus for data storage and contains,for example, a magnetic storage device such as an HDD, semiconductorstorage device, optical storage device, or magneto-optical device. Thestorage apparatus 919 stores programs executed by the CPU 901, variouskinds of data, and various kinds of data acquired from outside.

The drive 921 is a reader writer for a recording medium and is embeddedin the menu display apparatus 100 or externally attached thereto. Thedrive 921 reads recorded data from the removable recording medium 927such as an installed magnetic disk, optical disk, and semiconductormemory and outputs the recorded data to the RAM 905 to write data to berecorded.

The connection port 923 is a port to directly connect the externaldevice 929, for example, a USB port, SCSI port, or RS232C port to themenu display apparatus 100. The menu display apparatus 100acquires/provides data from/to the external device 929 connected to theconnection port 923 via the connection port 923.

The communication apparatus 925 is a communication interface composed ofa communication device to connect to a communication network N. Thecommunication apparatus 925 is, for example, a communication card forwire or wireless LANUSB, router for ADSL, or modem for communication.The communication apparatus 925 transmits/receives a signal to/from, forexample, the Internet or another communication device in conformity to apredetermined protocol. The communication network N connected to thecommunication apparatus 925 is composed of a network connected by wireor wirelessly. The communication network N may be the Internet, a homeLAN, infrared-ray communication, radio wave communication or satellitecommunication.

An example of the hardware configuration to realize the function of themenu display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention has been described. Each structural element of the hardwaremay be configured by using general devices or by using devicesspecialized for the function of each structural element.

5. CONCLUSION

According to the menu display apparatus 100 according to an embodimentof the present invention, as described above, the display of contentinformation C is controlled in each area A according to settingconditions for the area A set each application in the menu and displaydata of the content information C acquired from each application. Thus,menu specifications can now be set from the side of the application.

Accordingly, the user can enjoy using a good menu environment by settingmenu specifications as desired through changes of content to bedisplayed in a menu and changes of display data. Application developerscan also provide a good user environment to the user by setting menuspecifications as desired.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove with reference to the accompanying drawings, whilst the presentinvention is not limited to the above examples, of course. A personskilled in the art may find various alternations and modificationswithin the scope of the appended claims, and it should be understoodthat they will naturally come under the technical scope of the presentinvention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   100 Menu display apparatus-   101 Control unit-   103 Menu execution unit-   105 Application execution unit-   107 Holding unit-   111 Operation unit-   113 Display controller-   115 Display unit-   117 Content recording unit-   119 Communication unit

1-15. (canceled)
 16. An information processing apparatus comprising: atleast one processor configured to: acquire, from each of a plurality ofapplications, display data of content information representing contentto be displayed in a menu of content managed by each of theapplications; detect user operations for the menu of the content; andcontrol display of the content information in each area of the menuaccording to setting conditions for the respective area provided foreach respective one of the applications in the menu and the display dataof the content information acquired from each of the applications,wherein an amount of the content information for displaying is changedbased on the user operations.
 17. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 16, wherein the user operations include a pointingoperation performed on a predetermined region over a predeterminedperiod.
 18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 17,wherein, when the pointing operation is performed on the predeterminedregion over the predetermined period, the amount of the contentinformation for displaying is a first amount, and wherein, when thepointing operation is performed on the predetermined region under thepredetermined period, the amount of the content information fordisplaying is a second amount being less than the first amount.
 19. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, whenthe pointing operation is performed on the predetermined region over thepredetermined period, the content information for displaying includesthe menu and a sub-menu, and wherein, when the pointing operation isperformed on the predetermined region under the predetermined period,the content information for displaying includes only the menu.
 20. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, when areturn to the menu is instructed in the sub-menu, the at least oneprocessor is further configured to: control a zoom-out display from thesub-menu to the menu.
 21. The information processing apparatus accordingto claim 16, wherein the user operations are detected with a touchpanel.
 22. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16,wherein, when a drag operation is performed by specifying a region otherthan the area provided for each of the applications, the at least oneprocessor is further configured to: control scroll and display of themenu by being linked to the drag operation.
 23. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the menu is rotatedbased on another user operation.
 24. The information processingapparatus according to claim 23, wherein the another user operationcorresponds to an operation of a focus moving button.
 25. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein at leastone of the applications is executed based on another user operation. 26.The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein,when an area caused to be focused in the menu is selected, the at leastone processor is further configured to: control display of a sub-menu ofan application corresponding to the selected area and display contentinformation in the sub-menu of the content managed by the application.27. The information processing apparatus according to claim 26, whereinthe at least one processor is further configured to: make preparationsfor execution of the application; and when the content information isselected from the sub-menu, provide activation parameters of the contentcorresponding to the selected content information to the applicationthat processes the content.
 28. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 26, wherein, when a focus for the area is moved inthe menu, the at least one processor is further configured to: control arotation display of a menu region so that a rotation angle of the areacaused to be focused becomes 0° in accordance with the area caused to befocused by the focus moved in a spiral fashion with a center of the menuregion set as a reference.
 29. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 26, wherein, when the area caused to be focused inthe menu is selected, the at least one processor is further configuredto: control a zoom-in display of the sub-menu of the applicationcorresponding to the selected area.
 30. An information processing methodcomprising: acquiring, from each of a plurality of applications, displaydata of content information representing content to be displayed in amenu of content managed by each of the applications; detecting useroperations for the menu of the content; and displaying the contentinformation in each area of the menu according to setting conditions forthe respective area provided for each respective one of the applicationsin the menu and the display data of the content information acquiredfrom each of the applications, wherein an amount of the contentinformation for displaying is changed based on the user operations. 31.A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon aprogram, which when executed by a computer causes the computer toexecute a method, the method comprising: acquiring, from each of aplurality of applications, display data of content informationrepresenting content to be displayed in a menu of content managed byeach of the applications; detecting user operations for the menu of thecontent; and displaying the content information in each area of the menuaccording to setting conditions for the respective area provided foreach respective one of the applications in the menu and the display dataof the content information acquired from each of the applications,wherein an amount of the content information for displaying is changedbased on the user operations.